Distinct cultivar of Hosta Plant named &#34;Foxfire Palm Sunday&#34;&#34; which is suitable for landscape applications and container growing

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of  Hosta  named ‘Foxfire Palm Sunday’, that is characterized by an intense, rubbery leaf texture, wide yellow/chartreuse leaf margins and unique, green center leaf pattern of irregular multi-lobular ‘palmate’ shape.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSERED R&D

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LATIN NAME OF GENUS AND SPECIES OF CLAIMED PLANT

-   Genus: Hosta-   Species: Not routinely designated in this plant group as cross    hybridizing often obscures the ‘species parentage’ and makes it    impossible to clearly determine. Species designation may occur    (always written in lower case italics) if the claimed plant were a    direct mutation or selection of one of the thirty-three or more    actual recognized species. The plant Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’    would represent an example of this. This plant is a selection of a    superior form of the species sieboldiana and is known in the market    by its cultivar designation of ‘Elegans’. Any offspring resulting in    a cross of sieboldiana ‘Elegans’ with another hosta though, would    probably no longer carry the species designation. Such an offspring,    as most all hostas, would simply be designated as Hosta ‘cultivar    name’.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

“Foxfire Palm Sunday”’ is the variety designation and the name that willbe used in the landscape and container growing market trade.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hostaplant, botanically known as Hosta hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name “Foxfire Palm Sunday”.

‘Foxfire Palm Sunday’ was selected in 2000 and originated from seedlingsof an open pollination cross between pod parent H. ‘Independence Day’(not patented) and an unknown pollen parent. The pod parent exhibitsleaves with uniform gold margins and chartreuse centers. ‘Foxfire PalmSunday’ was selected primarily for its unique foliage pattern, vigorousgrowth characteristics and intense ‘rubbery’ leaf texture. ‘Foxfire PalmSunday’ differs from its pod parent in general shape, color and textureof the leaf as well as the unique ‘palm leaf’ variegation pattern withinthe leaf.

The inventor first accomplished asexual reproduction of the new cultivarby division in Marshfield, Wis. in 2007. Asexual reproduction of the newcultivar by division and tissue culture in 2008 has shown the uniquefeatures of ‘Foxfire Palm Sunday’ are stable and reproduced true to typein successive generations.

The new Hosta has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The appearance of the plant may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as degree of shading and ambienttemperature but the genotype will remain stable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘H. “Foxfire Palm Sunday”’ as a new anddistinct cultivar.

-   1. Broad, irregular, yellow/chartreuse leaf margin.-   2. Intense, rubbery leaf texture-   3. Unique, green center leaf pattern of irregular multi-lobular    ‘palmate’ shape

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color photograph illustrates the overall appearance ofthe new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. The photographcomprises a top perspective view of a plant “H. “Foxfire Palm Sunday””in a cultivated area of the garden. There may be slight differences inthe leaf colors of the photograph from the actual colors due to lightreflectance.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe the plant as grown in the ground in CentralWisconsin under partial shade.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid cultivar “Foxfire Palm    Sunday”.-   Parentage: Pod parent Hosta “Independence Day”.-   General description:    -   -   a) Blooming period.—about four weeks from June 25^(th) to            July 20^(th) in Wisconsin, USA.        -   b) Plant habit.—Herbaceous perennial, clump forming,            upright, vase shaped habit.        -   d) Height and spread.—reaches about 24 cm (up to about 70 cm            at maturity) in height and 70 cm (up to about 100 cm at            maturity) in width.        -   e) Hardiness.—USDA Zone 3-8.        -   f) Culture.—Light shade to partial sun, moist soils of            moderate fertility.        -   g) Diseases and pests.—No susceptibility or resistance to            diseases or other pests has been observed for “Foxfire Palm            Sunday”.        -   h) Root description.—Freely branched, fleshy.        -   i) Propagation.—In vitro propagation is preferred using            typical methods for Hosta, division is also possible.        -   j) Root development.—Rooted transplants from tissue culture            fully develop in a 72-cell liner in about 5-9 weeks in a            greenhouse with average temperature of about 70 degrees F.        -   k) Growth rate.—Vigorous.-   Foliage description:    -   -   a) Leaf shape.—Narrowly ovate.        -   b) Leaf base.—tapered — elongated into petiole.        -   c) Leaf size.—31 cm in length 17 cm in width.        -   d) Leaf texture.—Very thick, near ‘rubbery’.        -   e) Leaf quantity.—5-6 per shoot (eye).        -   f) Leaf appearance.—moderately wavy in mature leaf,            ‘crumpled’ in the juvenile form.        -   g) Leaf surface.—top surface slightly shiny — bottom            surface: glaucous bloom.        -   h) Leaf venation.—About 10 to 12 pairs of veins,            campylodrome pattern, impressed on upper surface and raised            on lower surface, color matches foliage coloration. Margin            exhibits notable ‘matrix’ veining between the primary veins.        -   i) Leaf margin.—slightly wavy, extending well down into            petiole as it narrows from a maximum width of 4 cm in the            upper leaf to 0.5 cm in the petiole.        -   j) Leaf arrangement.—Basal, radiate spirally from base.        -   k) Leaf color.—(July 4^(th), 50% shade, Wisconsin) Margin of            the leaf is yellow green nearest to RHS 144A. Dark green            center color (about RHS 137A) extends between the veins            irregularly into the margin to produce the distinctively            lobed ‘palmate’ variegation pattern. Margin assumes a deeper            yellow color as season progresses and/or with greater            exposure to sunshine.        -   l) Petiole description.—a) About 15 cm in length, 2-3 cm in            width b) Petiole color: Central region is green (about RHS            139C) with a yellow/green margin (about RHS 144A) c) Petiole            surface: glaucous d) Petiole shape: Sulcate.-   Flower scape description:    -   -   a) Scape shape.—round, solid.        -   b) Scape number.—One per mature eye.        -   c) Scape posture.—Straight, upright no arching.        -   d) Scape size.—45-75 cm long , 10-15 mm wide.        -   e) Scape color.—green (about RHS 144A).        -   f) Scape surface.—glaucous.        -   g) Leaf bracts.—about 5-10 per scape, 4 cm length, 1.5 cm            width, rigid, lanceolate in shape About RHS 136A in color,            dull on upper surface, shiny on lower surface.-   Flower type:    -   -   a) Inflorescence type.—Terminal racemes of single            tubular-shaped flowers, closely spaced on the last 12 cm of            the scape.        -   b) Lastingness of inflorescence.—about 4 weeks from first            opening bloom to fading of last opening bloom, individual            blooms lasting about one day.        -   c) Flower number.—25-35.        -   d) Flower fragrance.—none detected.        -   e) Flower shape.—tubular.        -   f) Flower bud shape.—Spathulate.        -   g) Flower bud color.—Light lavender (about RHS 85B).        -   h) Flower size.—6 cm long, 1.5 cm wide.        -   i) Flower color.—White (about RHS N155B) with lavender            (about RHS 85A) striations on the inner surface.        -   j) Pedicel.—About 5 mm in length, 2 mm in diameter, RHS            145A.        -   k) Perianth features.—Comprised of six tepals, 3 internal, 3            external, overlapping in expanded region and fused in tube            region.        -   l) Tepal shape.—Oblanceolate with acute apex.        -   m) Tepal size.—6 cm in length and 1.5 cm in width.        -   n) Tepal color.—White (about RHS N155B) with lavender (about            RHS 85A) striations on the inner surface.        -   o) Tepal texture.—Glaucous.-   Reproductive organs:-   Gynoecium: a) 1 pistil; style is about 4cm in length and 1 mm in    diameter, white in color; stigma is 3 lobed and white in color;    ovary is superior, compound, composed of 3 locules RHS 145A in    color.-   Androecium: 6 stamens; filament is about 4 cm in length and 1 mm in    diameter, white in color, anthers are about 5 mm in length and 2 mm    in width, RHS 199C in color. Pollen is abundant and RHS 15B in    color.-   Fruit: Not observed under growing conditions tested-   Seeds Not observed under growing conditions tested.

1. A new and distinct cultivar, named Hosta ‘H. “Foxfire Palm Sunday”’,substantially herein described and shown, characterized by an intense,rubbery leaf texture, wide yellow/chartreuse leaf margins and unique,green, center leaf pattern of irregular multi-lobular ‘palmate’ shape.